The Issue Of Gender Inequality

When applying for a job, women have been turned down because “even though they have fantastic qualifications, the longtime clients of the company are more comfortable handling men” (2015, para. 4). Women get turned down for reasons other than qualifications, showing how discrimination is a large factor in the job searching process. Men on the other hand, are rarely turned down for jobs because of their sex. This skewed job application process causes a snowball effect into the rest of the workforce. All of this ends up bringing different industries for male and females. Some sectors of work are male dominated, while others are female dominated. According to the Catalyst knowledge center, the most male dominated sectors of employment are brickmasons and stonemasons with men taking 99.9% of that field. The most female dominated sector of employment are secretaries and administrative assistants with 95.3% of women taking that field (2015, para. 11-12). Male and female based industries tend to have trends with them. The male based industries are more physical labor and construction type jobs, where women dominate the assistant and the secretary sector of the workforce. This segregation of genders into different workforces is why it is hard for women to seek employment in “male dominated industries”. Next, it leads us into the third and final snowball effect. In general throughout the U.S, women do not get equal

Over the past few decades, great strides have been made by women in the workplace. This increased number in women in the workplace does not mean equality however. Even with equal qualifications and achievements, women are still not given all the opportunities that men have. The chapter in the textbook, “Gender at Work”, shows us more of these inequalities in the workplace. Such inequalities cause gender segregation of jobs and can be linked with the pay inequality in the labor force. Even in jobs that are predominantly filled by women, men earn more than women. Women are often stereotyped as being family focused and not as able to travel, therefore they tend to get passed up for promotions (Garson p.353). This invisible barrier that keeps women from moving up the executive ladder is referred to as the “glass ceiling” (Baxter and Wright p. 346). Women also tend to do more domestic work, or unpaid labor and caregiving. This extra unpaid work is referred to as “the third shift” and is largely rested on the shoulders of women (Gersel p. 352). Consequently, this seems to be one of the biggest things holding women back from taking on jobs that are normally considered male

According to Metz (2011), women are being deprived of opportunities and being squeezed out of organisations due to preconceptions about their dedication to a long term role, based on outdated gender stereotypes. In general, women experience higher rates of harassment at work, compared to men(McLaughlin, Uggen and Blackstone 2012).

This concept illustrates gender inequality because even in a field that is dominated by women, gender perceptions about men’s roles, abilities, and skills, privilege them and ease their advancement within the occupation. (Wingfield, p363-365)

In today’s society it is still common to assign gender stereotype to specific career paths. Careers such as a construction worker, mechanic and electrician may be gender stereotyped as a man’s career and careers such as nursing, secretary, elementary school teachers and child care workers may be seen as a woman’s profession. I chose to analyze the concept of “ The Glass Escalator” by Adia Wingfield and relate it to two different news articles “ More men enter Fields Dominated by Women.” By Shaila Dewan and Robert Gebeloff and the article “Kudos for the Black Male Nurse” by Benjamin Greeen Jr. It has been encouraged for both men and women to take on occupational fields regardless of gender and race stereotypes. In Adia Wingfield’s study she also focuses on the inequality based off of race and gender in the work field for advancement in the a workplace. I decided to focus more on the subject of men just entering these different fields as an accomplishment.

Gender stereotypes are one of the most common encountered on a daily basis. The infamous ‘Glass Ceiling’ still exists in many areas of the professional world, restricting valid promotions simply based on gender. This type of concept can be verified by looking at comparative weekly wages of other professionals in a variety of industries. Most people will generally see female dominated occupations, such as nurse, teacher and secretary as requiring feminine personality traits and physical attributes for success; whereas male dominated occupations such as doctor, lawyer, and business executive are seen to require male personality traits for success (Sanderson, 2010, p. 344).

stereotypes have laid down habits of thinking that allow us to automatically expect less from women, to underestimate their abilities and their work, to categorize each successful woman as an exception. Research has shown that both men and women are prejudiced against women. In studies that do find gender-based differences in the evaluation of work, that difference is usually in favor of men. The tendency to undervalue women and what they can do is so powerful that an influx of women into an occupation or profession is enough to lower its status in the eyes of observers.

Throughout history, discrimination in all forms has been an endless battle; whether it 's race, gender, religion, beliefs, appearance or anything else that makes one person different from another, it’s happening every day. One significant discrimination problem the world population is combating, takes place in the work field. Women, who are as equally trained and educated, and with the same experience as men are not getting equal pay, “The American Association of University Women is releasing a new study that shows when men and women attend the same kind of college, pick the same major and accept the same kind of job, on average, the woman will still earn 82 cents to every dollar that a man earns”(Coleman). This form of discrimination dates back for centuries and derives from the common stereotype that since men provide for women and women take care of the home and children, men consequently are more effective in the career chosen. In today’s world, the realization that man and woman can produce the same outcome, have the same education, and have the same capability to accomplish the same overall tasks as men is becoming more popular, especially as the idea of women not being as valuable as a man is being proven wrong.

Women are becoming more independent and seeking careers so they do not have to rely on anyone, but themselves. Although women are stepping out of the unjust expectation of being housewives they unconsciously step right back in it. Due to American culture’s beliefs for the female role, women typically outnumber men in careers such as educator, health and child care, and social worker. It is less likely for a woman to be hired in male-dominated industries that have to do with construction, management, and engineering. For years’ women have been fighting to gain equality in the world of careers and even though there are women CEOs and managers, they still do not get paid equally to men. American women who work full-time, year-round are only paid 78 cents for every dollar that is being paid to a male. For fifty years women have been trying to break free from the social rules society has on them and when women finally break free from the housewife role they still are not seen as equal to men in the career

Gender segregation has declined since 1970; however, 60.9 percent of workers still are employed in a single-gender-dominated industry (Reskin, Workplace Gender Equality Agency). Professions strongly associated with men include: mining, driving, catering, plumbing, and car sales. Professions strongly associated with women include: nursing, primary teaching, beauticians, and manufacturing work that involves ‘manual dexterity’ (Hesmondhalgh and Baker). In fact, there were approximately 65 million women employed in 2010; yet, a grand total of three industries comprised of 53% of these women. The three woman-dominating industries in this study included education and

One of the most debated topics of this century, or arguably history, is the idea of sexism and its implications on gender roles in society. Sexism is defined as a prejudice or wrong mindset, usually under a negative connotation, of a member of the opposite sex. It usually constrains and limits the actions of the individual or group that the prejudice is being inflicted on - in this case women. It has not been a secret in society that females are often on the low end of the stick when it comes to jobs, societal perception, or even capabilities. In the workplace, they are often perceived to be inferior to males in true academic worth, which is one of the reasons that a majority of the jobs that specialize in the arts, such as journalism or photography, often are female prevalent (Sinkele, C. N. and others, 2011). Females who do manage to make it into the high paying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields, often make noticeably less than their male counterparts. Women are also thought of to be weaker, more emotional, and less ambitious than males; they are often constrained to traditional gender roles of obedient housewives in countries such as India or Pakistan. Nevertheless, many disagree with the concept of sexism in general and argue that many supposed assumptions imposed on females are legit, and therefore make the argument that sexism is unrealistic. Arguments have been made on if sexism even exists in some circumstances; those opposing the concept of

Gender inequality is a social problem that is widespread in society. It is referred to as the unfair treatment of individuals based on one 's gender. Historically, laws have opposed women to go to school, access certain jobs, and purchase property. Gender inequality has been experience through culture – honor-killing, sex-selective abortion, and society – occupation, gender roles, and education. The social expectations of men and women differ between cultures that are constructed socially and culturally. These expectations are displayed in roles, and behavior believed both by men and women and their interdependent relationships. Gender inequality can be further understood through the structure of sexism. Discrimination takes place in gender inequality for the reason that men and women are treated on the basis of gender alone (Amjad, R., Ashfaq, M., Kousar, R., Saghir, A., 2010).

Women have experienced a historic situation of inequality in the social as well as professional aspects. Women were normally the ones that would take care of children, do the chores in the house, and in rural areas; they would work in the field with the rest of the family. However, today’s women have become more self-sufficient and independent from the predominant male figure within every historical family. Gender inequality in the workplace is becoming less common; yet, gender is a factor that affects men and women. Especially women have been subjected to a historical discrimination that has influenced society to decide which job is more suitable for women than men. However women have confronted and tried to break down the barriers that

I examined different professional industries in The United States to get a familiar understanding of gender inequality around me. Gender inequality does not particularly favor one sex in every professional industry. Joanne Lipman’s article, "Let’s Expose the Gender Pay Gap," dealt with professional women in the work force and the gender pay gap that exists between professional men. There is also a distinct gender gap between a woman and a man asking for a raise or promotion within a company. “Female doctors and surgeons, for example, earn 71 percent of what their male colleagues make, while female financial specialists are paid just 66 percent as much as comparable men. Other researchers have calculated that women one year out of college earn 6.6 percent less than men after controlling for occupation and hours, and that female M.B.A. graduates earn on average $4,600 less than their male classmates for their first jobs.” (Lipman). There is a statistical gender pay gap in The United States that is undeniable.

A study on the implicit and explicit occupational gender types, Sex Roles, “Occupational gender stereotypes are activated when men and women are considered to be more suited for certain occupations based on stereotyped characteristics and temperaments” (White and White 2006). Matheus represented the following examples, “a stereotypically feminine job would be associated with attributes such as nurturing, caring, and being sensitive to the needs of others and a stereotypically masculine job would be associated with attributes such as decisiveness, coldness and toughness” (Matheus 2010). Nowadays, women are usually seen in the workforce as secretaries and nurses. Meanwhile, most doctors and construction laborers are men. In addition, Anker points out that “Occupational segregation by gender is prevalent in most if not all countries” (Anker 1998). “Women and men work in different fields and within fields at different levels” (Anker 1998). Diekman and Wilde explained that “men’s concentration in leadership and other high power roles led to the assumption that men have “agentic characteristics” such self-assertion and dominance and women’s concentration in subordinate and caretaking roles lead to the assumption that they have “communal characteristics” such as being kind and supportive (Diekman and Wilde 2005).